From On High
by Cayster
Summary: When Peyton discovered that not only could she write ethereal and surreal songs and sing as well, she decided to start up a band. What they didn’t expect was fame and the drama that unfolds with it. Eventually Leyton.
1. Near the End and At the Beginning

"From On High" by Cayster, a.k.a. Caley

Summary: When Peyton discovered that not only could she write ethereal and surreal songs, but that she could sing as well, she decided to start up a band. Their plan was simple: to write and make meaningful music. But what they didn't expect was fame and the drama that unfolds with it. LP near the end.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "One Tree Hill."

Author's Notes: "From On High" is mainly going to be Peyton centered, which is kind of different for me in a way. I mainly write more from Lucas's POV, but I have written in Peyton's POV just not as often. But still, it's new in a sense. Um, this is really going to be an angst fic: it will be one-sided for awhile, like Lucas pining for Peyton, but Peyton being totally oblivious to the fact. So yeah… I hope you read this fic if not because of the ship, but for the story because I promise that it's like no other fanfic out there!

**Chapter One**: _Near the End and At the Beginning_

Peyton leaned her forehead against the cold glass out of boredom. Life on the road was sculpted and scheduled… routine to put it short. Performing every other night used to cause this elysian adrenaline rush, but something seemed to have taken that away since he…. She didn't want to think about him.

She leaned her headagainst the head rest and huffed out of exasperation and guilt. Sorrow weighed her heart down just thinking about him and how stupid she was.

As the van started to come to a slow stop in front of the venue that they would be performing that night, their manager, Guy, turned around and looked at Peyton.

"This journalist from some internet site wants to interview you, Peyton." Guy put plainly with his British accent. "We don't need another bitchy write-up about you, so be as nice as possible, okay?"

Peyton looked at him and smirked. "I'll play by the rules if they do."

Guy looked at her as if pleading her not to screw this one up. He was right though, if there were any more reports about Candella's lead singer being the biggest bitch and whore from the business, they'd probably lose more fans.

She reluctantly got out of her warm seat from the van and met the brisk,cold air of New York City as she got out. Peyton was sick of the cold; sick of the interviews; sick of being portrayed like a bitch. But it was the truth wasn't it? That she was bitch—a cold hearted bitch. Peyton laughed at the thought bitterly: she was buying into the crap that the journalists wrote about her.

When she went into the venue, Guy immediately pointed her over to the bar where a woman dressed in worn jeans, Vans, a zipped up band hoodie, and a black scout hat was sitting. This intrigued Peyton because all of the other journalists seemed to stick out like a sore thumb in a venue because of their preppy, casual dress and stuck-up attitudes. But this one was obviously polar opposite.

Peyton leisurely made her way over there and slid into the bar stool next to the journalist's. The woman immediately gave her a warm smile and a soft "hi" right before she took her last sip of her coffee.

"Right," she said as she rubbed her two hands together as if saying 'what shall I do first'. "I'm Kat and I'm a first time interviewer."

Peyton looked a little indifferent, not really trusting that line. She had heard that one before and it was those interviews that seemed to sting her the most. "Really?"

Nodding her head and frowning slightly, Kat absentmindedly played with her hoodie's string. "Yep," she simply said as she pulled out her twenty year old looking tape recorder. "The person who was supposed to interview you would've been a dick about it and write something up cliché like," she waved her hand around as if the interview's headline would've been in lights, "Candella's bad girl starts to box other band members out."

Peyton smirked at the thought— Kat was probably true.

"And since your music means so much to me, I got up from my desk and asked the head honcho himself for the job." Kat continued with a humble attitude about it.

"So you're a fan?" Peyton questioned simply. Another thing interviewers liked to say, as if trying to coax the interviewees into believing that they weren't going to have to endure the tough questions.

Kat just shook her head before playing with the tape recorder to begin its recording. "Ever since the end of 2006."

"If you're truly a fan," Peyton stated flatly, "then what is the one song that I performed only once because I felt like the song'struth would be discarded too quickly?"

The girl over at Peyton for the first time since she said her own name and then smiled a small smile. "Equinox."

Thinking that Kat wouldn't get it right and bite the dust, Peyton was stunned slightly by her correct answer. "Y-yeah," Peyton stumbled slightly as she smiled. "I'm Peyton," she finally said as she remembered that she hadn't introduced herself.

Kat nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Neither of them said a thing until Kat set the tape recorder down on the bar's wooden counter. "Okay, let's start from the beginning—how did Candella come to be?"

"Ugh, well I came to the realization that the poetry I wrote in my journal could be kick ass lyrics, I decided to show some of my friends them--" Peyton began, but Kat stepped in.

"Who happened to be Jake, Lucas, and Haley."

"Yeah," Peyton said as she continued on, "and they were all really fascinated by the honest vulnerability and rawness that was showcased by 'em. So we all decided to start up the band. And that's how Candella began."

The thought of the simple beginning took Peyton back, back two years ago.

XXXXX

The garage was quaint, disheveled, and crowded. It was drownedby various cords to various outlets, amps, or instruments, but this claustrophobic space didn't hinder the group's goal one bit. They had been practicing since midday and it was already well into the night, but they were determined to get this challenging song down.

"Damn it," Peyton hissed to herself as she missed yet another note again. Her frustration was starting to get the best of her. "Let's just start from the beginning."

Haley nodded tiredly, as did both Jake and Lucas. Although this song wasn't challenging instrumentally, it was vocally. Peyton had written her own score, the best score that the band had seen yet, but everyone thought Peyton was trying to reach this unattainable this time around. It was just too far out of her reach.

Lucas set the beat as he began his well set-up drum sequence that seemed to be the perfect match for the song rhythmically. Soon Peyton came in on her bass as she tabbed the deep, somber chords. Then Jake began to hammer his electric guitar passionately with the melody and mood being set. Finally Haley's time to come in came and she touched the keys to her keyboard in a wishful sullen manner. Finally, it was time for song's meaning to come into play.

"_Life is like a great white alpine tide_," started to sing beautifully with a mournful attitude that was perfect for this song's mood. "_You see it grow high and then your eyes see its bride. Then you're two steps forwards, three steps back. Here we go again, hear we all fall and crash. Fall long and hard, and we can hear the guffaws of our peers; Peers whose laughs are loud because they're distorted from beer. Soon then we're enveloped in echoes because of our fatal crash._"

Peyton was fine at this point in the song. The challenging point was still yet to come and that was very fresh in her mind. A determined flicker of passion was engaged in her eyes.

"_Some reach great heights, higher than hundreds of stories. Others start wondering if they need to take cautious heed. But then the water rises and we all begin to bleed. Because the shark sank its merciless teeth into us; And then we hear the roar of its bloodthirsty lust. 'Oh no, Lord help us,' we all start to cry. 'We don't wanna die right here and say goodbye.' And then the world does its frigid bow and says sorry. Our eyes slowly close and we soon see the gates of glory._

"_There're sunny days and stormy nights. Sometimes it seems like were all gradually drifting; But then the sun rises again and some start singing."_

'Here goes nothing,' Peyton thought to herself as she closed her eyes tightly and belted out the toughest part of the song.

"'_If the sharks don't getcha, the under-toe will.' So say farewell to fond memories. Turn to thanks to those who had enchanted stories, Of make believe lands and fairy godmothers. And then you stare out at the brilliant vast sea, Only to whisper soft melodies and wistful dreams. So say hello to your future and goodbye to home;_

_Cause here there's no such thing of mermaids and cone-headed gnomes._"

As soon as she passed the most challenging part without a flaw, Peyton smiled contentedly to herself as she continued to sing and finish the song. When the last snare drum had been beat and the last cymbal smashed, the band whooped and hollered.

"Wow, Peyton!" Jake started saying. "That was perfect—and the way you annunciated some of the words after 'dreams' was really cool," he smiled excitedly. "Maybe you should do that more often."

"Yeah, no joke," Lucas said getting up from his padded stool and walking around his drum set. "That was sweet—the gig is going to be amazing with this song closing the set!"

A wide smile slid across Peyton's face as she thought about the song being performed live for the first time. It kind of made her nauseated though too. It was going to be the first real song-- the first different songcompared to theirprevious songs and she just hoped it would be received well. And at the same time, she felt something was missing from the song and that didn't help her anxiety either.

"I bet we'll get an encore," Haley stated happily as she began to play an improvised melody.

Peyton seemed drawn to it. "Wait, Haley play that back."

"What? Peyton it was just a stupid little," Haley began to say, but she saw how serious Peyton was and she decided not to go against it, so she played it again. The melody triggered something in Peyton's heart when Haleyplayed it back.

"Do it again," Peyton replied as her adrenaline was just starting to kick in.

Haley did it again with an unsure grimace on her face.

"That's it!" Peyton exclaimed finally as she listened to the melody again. Shestared directlyat Lucas then, "That's the intro!"

Lucas looked a little confused, but he slid in behind his drum set again and waited for direction. "Do you mean that she'll start it with that melody?" He nodded off at Haley to begin playing the melody again, she complied.

"Yeah," Peyton said nodding her head quickly as she stepped on her distortion pedal.

Luke listened to the melody as Haley played it over and over again until he started to drum again midway through the melody. "Is that alright?" He asked, willing for criticism or support. "I'll just come in half-way through when Haley starts to repeats it for the first time."

Peyton turned around and started to strum her same chords just with the addition of the distortion. The song seemed to carry a different depth now, and Peyton liked its substance.

Jake then began to hammer his same tune, but using his Gretsch because of the better quality humbuckers clearing up with the distorted bass muddied up.

"This is it—this it what 'Drowning Waters' is all about!" Peyton shouted as she quit playing instantly, grabbing a pen and paper and thrusting them at Haley for her to write down her inspiring melody down.

Everyone beamed at one another in a confused, but happy manner. They were all beat, but they were so excited about the song now that they were too wired to just call it a night.

Lucas got up and pocketed his sticks, "How about a movie?"

They all nodded in agreement to see one. The funny thing was, they all fell asleep on one another's shoulders in the theater and didn't see a singlescene of the movie.

XXXXX

Peyton smiled slightly at the memory of the early days of Candella. The days when they all were friends, all were speaking to one another, and all were there for one another and able to literally lean on one another's shoulders. But that changed. Lies, flings, drunkenness, and egos got in the way.

Kat must've noticed Peyton's smile and decided to talk more about the past. "So, were the beginning stages of the band your favorite stages?"

At hearing the new question, Peyton snapped out of memory lane and sat up a little straighter. "I guess," Peyton said wrenching her hands out of nervousness, "I suppose they were. We didn't have to deal with what we had to past those stages."

Peyton frowned at when the band began to drift after they were picked up by Guy and the label. They were ruined from that fateful day forward.

XXXXX

"Hi," the tall, skinny Brit greeted frigidly, "I'm Guy Peterson."

Lucas nodded off at him as he wiped his face with the towel the venue provided on the table next to the stage's door.

Peyton smiled awkwardly at him as she shook his hand. "Peyton," she simply put as she went over to the same table where Lucas had gotten his towel and picked up a water bottle.

Guy greeted Jake and then Haley before he turned back around to announce something. "I suppose you all are wondering who I am and what my intentions are. Well," he began and paused as if postponing the reason just to make the band shake in their boots. "I'm a manager and I want you, Candella, to let me manage you."

The entire band looked at one another quickly, not believing their ears. "What!" They all shouted at the same time.

"I want to manage you," Guy stated again with a huge grin on his face. "And if all goes well, you'll be signed to a label within a month."

Peyton felt the need to take a seat all of a sudden. The realization of being signed to a label had never occurred to her, but now that it was being presented to them it was all surreal and right.

Suddenly, Jake began to scream and jump up and down out of joy at this prospect. "Hell yes! Hell yes! Thank you, Mr. Peterson, thank you!" Jake screamed as he began to shake Guy's had excitedly.

Then all of the rest of the band began to cheer excitedly. They were going to be apart of something bigger than just a local Tree Hill- Raleigh circuit. They were finally going to get noticed for their music. They were finally going to just get noticed.

"I guess I'll take that as a yes," Guy replied sarcastically.

XXXXX

"Peyton?" Kat asked in a concerned manner.

Snapping out of it, Peyton realized that she was still in the middle of an interview. "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just…." Peyton didn't complete her sentence.

"Remembering?" Kat offered as she leaned back against the bar.

Peyton shook her head, "Yeah. I was just remembering the days."

"The days of Candella's jump-start?" Kat questioned looking over Peyton without taking down a single note of Peyton's posture or body language.

"No," Peyton began, "the days when Candella could still be friends on and off the stage."

Author's notes: Alright, this is something that is very different from what I've ever written. Yes, it's going to be a Leyton, but it will take a while before it will get there, probably the last chapter of the story. Though, that doesn't mean Lucas won't be angsting and Peyton will too, but not for a while. She'll be too caught up with someone else to notice Lucas. Right now, I'm just trying to build the story and provide background information for ya'll.

So I hoped you like this chapter! I'd love to hear what you thought of it, whether it be praise or criticism—I'd still love to know what you thought. Thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it. Also, I apologize for any grammatical errors, but I'm just too worn out to check for 'em right now.


	2. When It Should Be Like It Was

Author's Notes: If you noticed earlier in the last chapter before Peyton started to get interviewed, she thought of a mysterious he that left. Now, since I'm not at the point in the story where I want to disclose who that he is, though, you could probably already guess who he is easily. So just keep him in mind.

* * *

**Chapter Two**: When It Should Be Like It Was 

The roadies and crew started to set-up Candella's opening act's equipment and gear in a leisured fashion. Peyton looked on remembering the times when she used to help out the various bands that drifted through Tree Hill at Tric set-up their gear with much excitement.

Kat looked over at the process too seeing that Peyton's eyes had been fixated on them. "So, do you like Raptured Skies?" Kat asked looking at the crew.

The name of Candella's opener made Peyton's heart sink. Amos's, the lead singer and guitarist of Raptured Heights, face flashed throughout Peyton's mind. 'Why did I have to sleep with him?' Peyton berated herself for the millionth time since the incident. 'If I hadn't, _he_ wouldn't have left.'

Peyton nodded her head curtly, "Yeah, they're alright. I mean," she answered, "they know how to get the audience amped up for us to come on and have them in a good mood for us."

"Sweet," Kat replied in return turning and looking back at Peyton. "Now when you all recorded you're first album, was it awkward or weird to have some scrutinize over your music and changing it up?"

Peyton shrugged, "Yeah, it was, but if they didn't then someone would've…" she said pausing, "like me."

* * *

Peyton kicked at the floor angrily as she listened to the recording play back through the speakers. She didn't like the sound at all— it was too poppy for her.

"Um," she said in an irritated tone while looking up over at the producer, "I thought the direction we were going it was more gritty than anything else, at least that's what you said when we started the project."

Their producer, Jacob, nodded his head lazily, "Yeah, that is the direction, but," Peyton knew there had to be a 'but', "we're going to push this song being the radio-friendly single." He leaned forward against the sound table and stopped the song. "If you guys want to really hook 'em in, you're going to have to meet their needs first, d'you know what I mean?"

Peyton looked around the room at her band mates; they all looked like they had just drank something bitter by the disgusted and unsure looks on their faces, Lucas especially. At the same time, he looked over at her and gave her the 'I can't believe what we got ourselves into' look. She grimaced in agreement.

Jake exasperatedly rubbed his eyes and stood up. "I don't know Jacob, this song isn't supposed to make you want to," he paused trying to think of a good description as he paced about the room, "chew bubble gum when you're listening to it."

"Yeah," Peyton chimed in. "When I wrote this song, I was crying because I was pissed off and sad and angry— this is not what that's sending through this version of the song!"

Jacob nodded his head in understanding, but the band felt like their opinions and rebuttals were falling onto deaf ears. "Okay, okay," he blew a bubble with his gum, "what I want to know is: do you guys want air-time or not?"

Everyone in the band looked at each other nervously. Of course they wanted radio play, but they didn't want "Drowning Waters" to be played as if Candella was supposed to pop or something. They wanted to be abstract and have depth, like Radiohead.

"Because," Jacob continued mercilessly, "if you send your old version to the radio stations, they'll throw it to the side because it doesn't sell to the average listener. They want something that will make preteen girls get giddy about or preppy kids say 'sweet' when they hear it." He looked at each of them with a weary eye of expertise. "They don't want a song playing if it's going to make the listener think 'I want shoot myself in the face'— do you get what I'm saying?"

Lucas huffed and roughly ran a hand over his face. Haley looked like a hurt little puppy. Jake looked pissed off and indifferent to Jacob's opinion. Peyton felt dismantled and disrespected… this was her song, not some label's to do what they will with it.

Jacob asked again with a bit more force, "Do you want a hit or do you want to be unknown?"

"Fine," Peyton spat out vehemently. "Do it, but we won't play this song live like that piece of crap you were playing."

"Drowning Waters" became a hit in the U.S., U.K., and Australia a few months later. The first Candella song to ever be played on the radio and the band changed the station immediately when they heard it.

* * *

"So," Katherine continued, "when 'Drowning Waters' came out, it exploded everywhere. The hottest music channels wanted you on their shows, your album started selling like it was going to go out of style, and affiliates came offering you guys the latest and greatest stuff. When all this happened did reality seem to become surreal? Did you ever let your head float too high up in the sky? What were you thinking and feeling?"

Peyton laughed cynically at the thought of those tiring and confusing days. "Let's just say that those days aren't my favorites by a long shot."

Katherine nodded off at the bartender to come their way, but continued to listen to Peyton. "I guess I could understand that. After all, so many people are approaching you with deals, contracts, and promises—you don't know who you can trust and who you can't."

"Exactly," Peyton said softly. She couldn't remember an interviewer who seemed to see from the artist's view point like Katherine did.

The bartender finally walked over to the two, "I'll have the same," Katherine began and then pointed at Peyton, "and she'll have--"

Surprised slightly, Peyton sat up a little straighter from her slouched state. "Um, some coffee would just be fine, thanks."

"Okay," the bartender said as he began to whip up the beverages for the two and place them in front of the correct customer.

Peyton made the move to get out her wallet, but Katherine waved her off. "I got this. Besides, you're a struggling artist trying to make ends meet."

Laughing, "Right, I'm struggling alright."

* * *

"Wow!" Lucas gasped in amazement at Peyton's even vaster collection of vinyl. "I thought you were nuts a few years ago, but now— damn!" He stood drinking in the new room. "So this is where your money, or should I say investment, is!" Laughing, Peyton nodded.

Peyton had added a large room onto her house in Tree Hill specifically for housing her vinyl. It had the state of the art stereo systems that specialized in vinyl. All of the walls, from the ceiling to the floor, except for where the head stereo was attached, were covered in rows and rows of vinyl. So for Peyton and anyone who knew what was what about records would be set at awe at the sight.

"How do you know where you have everything?" Lucas asked walking towards the stereo.

"That's the funny thing," Peyton started laughing at her own ignorance, "I started putting everything in alphabetical order, but then that came too much to handle. So I just started to put them up box by box that was shipped in."

Lucas ran his hand cautiously, but lovingly over some of the old school albums. "How many are there?"

Peyton smiled over at the sight of Lucas completely awe-inspired by her little music nest. "About 15,000… I think."

When he heard the number he seemed to sadden more than anything else. Lucas glanced over at Peyton finally and smiled sullenly. "Well," he began as he reached into his black messenger bag, "I guess this won't really be much of an addition then." He pulled out Black Sabbath's 'The Wizard' seven inch—a rare piece of vinyl to come by—and handed it to her.

Peyton's eyes grew wide with astonishment, "Oh my gosh, Luke!" She looked up at him smiling widely, "Thanks, but I--"

"You already have it?" Lucas offered in an unsure manner as he pocketed his hands.

"No," Peyton said quickly, "I mean, I can't accept this… this is… this should be yours."

Lucas laughed softly, "No way! You love Sabbath and you love vinyl, I mean look at your collection. It should be yours."

"Thanks, but you have to be the first one to hear it then!" Peyton replied as she headed towards the stereo area and placed the single on the record player. When it started to play, Peyton turned around to see Lucas giving her a content smile with an endearing twist on it. "What?" She asked intrigued.

Lucas must've finally noticed that he had been staring at her. "Oh, ugh nothing," he said blushing and then nodded off down the hall towards the front door. "I better get going."

"You don't want to hear the rest of the song?" Peyton asked a little bewildered.

"Nah," he answered shaking his head. "I'm just going to leave you to your musical bliss."

Confused, Peyton nodded her head slowly. "Okay, thanks again!"

Lucas turned and looked back at her, laughing awkwardly. "Don't mention it."

* * *

Peyton took a sip of her hot cup of coffee leisurely. She subconsciously nodded her head to the beat of Raptured Skies sound check and set her coffee down on the counter in front of her.

"You guys have been practically everywhere—the U.K., Australia, Europe—everywhere. You've toured with the best of the best like Jimmy Eat World, Eisley, Coldplay… which one was your favorite?" Katharine asked off-handedly, like it had just come to her mind. Spontaneity was one of the many characteristics Peyton liked about her first-time interviewer; it was as if she wasn't really interviewing her, but like she was a friend wanting the details.

Peyton shrugged a little and then looked up at the ceiling in thought. "I don't know really. All of them were completely amazing and fun—those bands are so friendly and encouraging." She sank into a comfortable position in her bar stool, "I suppose our first one where we opened up for Motion City Soundtrack because we were so oblivious and confused half of the time."

Laughing at the thought of how many times the band had gotten lost backstage or on the road brought back so many funny memories.

* * *

"Okay," Haley said pausing and making the hand motion for them all to halt. "I think the stage is," she thought about it for a second before pointing to the right, "this way."

Jake grumbled just about as soon as she said this. "No that can't be right because I remember specifically that we were over that way before; it has to be this way," he pointing left.

Soon shouting and finger pointing was consuming the lost band's thoughts. Suddenly, Lucas whistled shrilly and the yelling stopped immediately.

"Right," he said softly, not believing that he could control them like that. "Instead of bickering amongst ourselves, let's remember that we have five minutes to get on that stage before an angry mob tears it apart."

His words were true and caused everyone to remember where they were and what they were needed to do.

"The last thing I remember," Lucas continued, "was seeing that red tape there on that black curtain when we came into the venue."

"So we must be at the loading dock," Peyton stepped in.

Lucas looked at her and smiled, "Right."

The band turned around and started walking off in a path that started to remind them of small things they remembered seeing.

"Look, there's the door that leads to the dressing rooms!" Jake said in a brightened manner. Everyone's pace seemed to quicken as they hit the door.

The door swung open wide and hard. Almost immediately they heard a thunderous smack and someone's cry.

"Oh, bloody hell!" A familiar voice shouted. The entire group turned around to see their manager cupping the side of his face, which happened to be bright red. As if on cue, everyone started laughing, that is, everyone except for Guy.

"Ha, ha, very funny." He said sarcastically as everyone continued to laugh. "Bugger off, you have a show to do you slimey gits!"

Howling with laughter, they all made their way to the stage area and took their places in front of many watchful and excited faces. Their set began practically seconds later with their mischievous smiles still dancing happily on their faces.

* * *

"So that tour helped you learn the ropes, then?" Kat interjected as she watched off at the loud sound check.

Smiling still at the humorous memory, "Yeah, it was a crash course of one, too." Slowly, her smile seemed to disappear. The thought of all of them laughing and getting over their fights so quickly seemed like centuries ago to Peyton. Where did that all go? When did it all go away? Why did it all go away? Peyton bitterly grabbed a hold of her coffee cup and took one long sip wishing it was alcohol instead. She wished that she could have all of that back with them… she'd give anything to have that back with them.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, I hope you all enjoyed that one! It seemed to pour out of me as quickly as I typed it. Um, thanks for taking the time to read this—it means so much just to know that people are reading it. It's definitely different, haha, definitely. But I'm really enjoying this one… I haven't really enjoyed writing a fanfic in awhile and being able to during this one feels nice. So anyways, thanks again for reading! There was more Lucas-Peyton interaction in this one and hopefully you noticed the small hints of Lucas's affection for Peyton. If not, then I don't know what I should do! Lol. Please, please, please tell me your thoughts! I love hearing about what you all think even if it's constructive criticism or just plain old criticism. Thanks! 


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